• The 21st-ranked Blue Devils open the 2014 campaign with the Duke Invitational Friday-Saturday, Aug. 29-30 in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

2014 Duke Invitational Schedule

August 29, 2014

Furman vs. High Point

10 a.m.

Duke vs. North Florida

12 p.m.

North Florida vs. Furman

5 p.m.

Duke vs. High Point

7 p.m.

August 30, 2014

High Point vs. North Florida

1 p.m.

Duke vs. Furman

3 p.m.

North Florida History

• Friday’s 12 p.m., match between Duke and North Florida is the first meeting in program history between the two schools.

High Point History• Duke and High Point meet in Friday’s fourth and final match, marking the 24th match in program history between the Blue Devils and the Panthers ... Duke leads the series, 15-8 ... The two teams last squared off in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, a 3-0 Blue Devil victory in Cameron ... The Blue Devils bring a four-match win streak into the weekend ... Duke has not lost to High Point since 1982.

Furman History• The Blue Devils and the Paladins close out the 2014 Duke Invitational with their fourth meeting in school history ... The Blue Devils own a 3-0 record against the Paladins ... The two schools last met in 2011, a 3-1 Duke win.

Blue Devils Make 18th NCAA Tournament Appearance• Duke (28-5, 18-2 ACC) made its ACC-leading 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history in 2013, and 11th under head coach Jolene Nagel ... The Blue Devils earned the No. 16 national seed, hosting the opening rounds of the tournament for the fifth time in program history ... 2013 also marked the second time in program history that Duke earned a national seed ... The Blue Devils previously garnered the No. 12 overall seed in 2006.

Duke Wins ACC Crown• Duke clinched the 2013 ACC Championship and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in thrilling fashion, rallying for a 3-2 decision over then-No. 14 North Carolina in the regular season finale to avoid a three-way tie with UNC and Florida State for the conference crown ... Duke has won 11 ACC Championships in program history, including four over the past eight seasons ... Nagel has guided Duke to four ACC crowns – three outright (2006, 2010, 2013) and one co-championship (2008) – during her 15 years in Durham.

Duke in the ACC• The Blue Devils finished the 2013 season with an 18-2 ACC record, bolstering their all-time league mark to 311-137 (.694) ... Duke is the ACC’s winningest program in terms of conference victories and winning percentage ... Duke is also the first ACC program to top 300 conference wins ... Over the past 10 seasons, the Blue Devils have posted just one losing conference record.

Home Court Advantage• The Blue Devils enjoyed great success in Cameron Indoor Stadium, finishing the 2013 campaign with a 16-1 mark on their home court ... The 16 home wins are the most since the Blue Devils won 17 contests in Cameron during the 1993 season ... The Blue Devils boast a 166-31 home record since 2000, which includes a 38-match win streak from 2004-07.

Sustained Success• Duke is no stranger to success, winning 20 or more matches 25 times in its 43 seasons of volleyball, including a 28-5 mark in 2013 ... The Blue Devils have topped 20 wins in eight of the past nine seasons and have won 25 or more matches in six of the past eight campaigns ... In 15 seasons under Nagel’s direction, Duke has won 20 or more matches 12 times and 25-plus contests six times.

Balanced Offense• The Blue Devils featured one of the nation’s top offenses as Duke led the ACC and ranked ninth nationally in both kills per set and assists per set in 2013 ... Duke utilized a balanced attack with five players totaling over 200 kills ... 2013 marked the eighth consecutive season in which Duke had at least four players with 200 or more kills ... Duke had six different players register 15 or more kills in a single match, while two Blue Devils topped the 20-kill plateau.

Sklar Stellar as Sophomore• Outside hitter Emily Sklar enjoyed a tremendous sophomore campaign, culminating in third team AVCA All-America accolades as well as ACC Player of the Year distinction ... She became the third Duke player to earn a spot on the AVCA All-America first, second or third team, and the first since Kellie Catanach earned third team distinction following the 2010 season ... Sklar was also the only sophomore in Duke history, and eighth player overall, to take home ACC Player of the Year honors ... She led the team with 405 kills, and averaged 3.89 to rank second in the league ... Sklar was the first Duke player to knock down over 400 kills in a single season since Rachel Moss in 2008 ... She put down 10 or more kills in 26 contests, including 23 straight to end the season ... Sklar also tied for the team lead with 10 double-doubles and finished the campaign with 222 digs.

Six Blue Devils Earn All-ACC Honors• Duke tied the school record with five players selected to All-ACC teams in 2013 ... The Blue Devils also placed five players on the all-league squad in 2010 ... Led by ACC Player of the Year Emily Sklar and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Ali McCurdy, five of Duke’s seven starters made the team, including middle blocker Chelsea Cook, outside hitter Jeme Obeime and setter Maggie Deichmeister ... Middle blocker Jordan Tucker picked up All-ACC Freshman team honors as well ... Three-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year McCurdy pulled in her fourth All-ACC nod, while Cook, Deichmeister, Obeime and Sklar all received their first career all-conference nod.

Nagel Tabbed Coach of the Year

• Head coach Jolene Nagel, in conjunction with associate head coach John Wasielewski and assistant coach Cristina Pintilie, pulled in a fourth ACC Coach of the Year accolade (2001, 2006, 2010, 2013) this past season ... Nagel also garnered AVCA All-Region Coach of the Year honors for the fifth time in her career ... Nagel is in her 15th season at Duke, leading the program to a 327-142 record during that time ... She owns a 534-282 record over a 25-year career, which includes head coaching stints at Cornell, Georgetown and Duke ... With 332 victories as a Blue Devil, Nagel is Duke’s all-time wins leader, surpassing the mark previously held by Jon Wilson (301).

Four Duke Players Named All-East Coast Region• Four Duke players – Maggie Deichmeister, Ali McCurdy, Jeme Obeime and Emily Sklar – earned AVCA All-East Coast Region awards in 2013 ... Duke’s four selections tied for the most in school history, matching the total from the 2010, 2007 and 1993 campaigns ... Deichmeister, Obeime and Sklar all garnered the accolade for the first time in their careers while McCurdy made her third appearance on the all-region team ... Duke was the only ACC team, and one of 10 programs nationally, to place four or more players on a regional squad, joining Texas (6), Florida (5), Penn State (5), Kansas (4), Michigan (4), Missouri (4), Nebraska (4), Southern Cal (4) and Stanford (4).